


last young renegade

by spookynat



Category: GOT7
Genre: M/M, but they're irrelevant, jooheon makes an appearance!, there are a couple OCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 17:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12731016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookynat/pseuds/spookynat
Summary: jackson's had a hard time with past owners, but this new one seemed okay





	last young renegade

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to post this while it was still freshly finished, which means i didn't edit it
> 
> which always leads to my regret

"Ma'am? H-He's back."

 

"He was returned _again_? What the actual fuck is wrong with people?"

 

"Y-You should adopt him, I think."

 

"Cherise, you know I can't take any more in right now. My partner already says we have too many clogging up with apartment, and he's right."

 

"I wish I could, but my mum told me not to _dare_ adopting any. She's so conservative. Maybe it's people like her who are constantly adopting him then returning him? They can't deal with how different he is so they decide not to deal at all."

 

"You know, Cherise, you may be right. That's likely what it is. _Disgusting_."

 

 

 

Jaebum _really_ wasn't sure why he was here. His ex had suggested that Jaebum get over his commitment issues with something other than a _cat_ (in Nora's defence, Jaebum is perhaps a bit emotionally stunted, but he loves his cat. Leave him alone) and decided that _maybe_ the way to do that was to adopt a hybrid.

 

Jaebum had choked and declined the idea, but here he was, three months later and several thousand dollars richer.

 

Unfortunately, his mother's rich aunt had passed away, but in doing so, she had left her company and her life savings in Jaebum's hands (and it wasn't because he was responsible, because he was. It was more like the rest of his family was nuts and the one meeting he had had with his maternal great aunt had gone well. Well enough for him to inherit a fucking _fortune_ ).

 

So, here we are. Jaebum is lonely and is looking to adopt. He would prefer a cat, of course, but they're fairly independent so he figured he would look and see what other animal hybrids he could adopt.

 

He took a deep breath and stepped into the cool shop. He didn't notice but his nose scrunched up a little bit from the smell of the hybrids wafting from the back. The staff member at the front of the store smiled at Jaebum as soon as he stepped in, her appearance accompanied by the stainless light blue walls and clean tile floors.

 

"Welcome to Pet Heaven! How may I help you?" Her nametag read 'Cherise' and her bubblegum pink smile supported it. Jaebum was immediately put off but he didn't make it known.

 

"I'm here to adopt a hybrid," which he figured was the right answer based on the way her smile widened drastically and he was led to a large door.

 

"Through here is all of our... _merchandise_. There will be someone in the back to assist you. Once you finish, just come back here with the pet and I will draw up the papers for you. We have a 'first in, first buy' policy, however, so if someone in the back would like to adopt the pet before you, well, we can't decline. Please enjoy!" She opened the door and he was all but shoved through.

 

The smell of the pets was stronger behind the door, and he was surrounded by pets of all kinds in large pens. There were different kinds of dogs, cats, even birds, but that seemed to be the extent of the shop's inventory. He decided to leave the cats until last and start with the birds, so that he went from least desirable to most desirable (at least, in his book).

 

In the bird pen, his eye was immediately drawn to a lean blonde boy with bright blue eyes and green and blue markings up his arms. The boy grinned, showing sharp canines and friendliness.

 

"Hey," the other boy said. He had an accent, that was for sure, and he seemed a bit shy, but Jaebum still smiled at the other and stopped in front of his pen. The boy was about a head taller than the pen, being able to rest his chin on his arms on top of the gate.

 

"Hello," Jaebum replied, looking over the other boy. He noticed the markings on the boy were more colourful than he originally thought, having greens and blues and purples and deep pinks. They were beautiful, sure, but he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting over to the other pens.

 

"I'm a peacock, if you haven't figured it out yet. My name is Mark," the boy, Mark, grinned at Jaebum, then stepped back from the edge of the pen. "But I keep seeing your eyes straying over to the dogs and cats so I won't take more of your time than you want."

 

Jaebum gave Mark another sheepish smile then stepped back. "I'll be back shortly. I'm really curious about you." He missed Mark's excited grin as his gaze roamed over the rest of the birds. Then, he caught sight of a prideful-looking peacock in the corner with slightly duller colours and honestly? Jaebum's heart stuttered a bit.

 

The other peacock had a spiteful look on his face and he was glaring at Jaebum, as if Jaebum was the reason the other was -

 

 _Oh_.

 

Jaebum grinned and moved to the other side of the pen, where the other peacock was. Mark watched him with curious eyes, as did all the other pets in the shop as well as the one shopkeeper who was in the back with him.

 

"Hi," Jaebum said softly at the peacock sitting on the ground. The peacock's face was scrunched up and he was looking away, as if looking at Jaebum was the most horrendous thing he could think of doing.

 

Jaebum, however, was a determined man, so he leant down to look at the other between the bars, and said, "You must not like me, huh? Does it have something to do with the other peacock over there?"

 

The peacock on the ground's head shot up, eyes widened and blazing as he struck Jaebum dead.

 

With his glare, that is. Murder is illegal kids.

 

"No, it has absolutely nothing to do with Mark, and more to do with you smelling up this shop. Take your pick of us then get the fuck out of here." Wow.

 

Vulgar.

 

Jaebum smiled and reached through the bars, as if to pat the other's head. "Well, lucky for you, I'm not really here for a bird, though if I was, I would choose you first. Don't tell Mark that though."

 

The peacock's glare had lessened now, and Jaebum could see a hint of curiosity in those dark green eyes. Then, the peacock looked away and muttered something.

 

"Sorry, what was that?"

 

"'M 'Nyoung."

 

"'Nyoung?"

 

The peacock looked up, furious. "I'm _Jinyoung_ , you dumb fucking human. Why can't you get that much right?"

 

Jaebum smiled, glad he could get through to the other. _Jinyoung_ , he reminded himself. He stood and looked at the two peacocks in the pen, hidden slightly against each other with Jinyoung tucked a bit more behind Mark. Jinyoung watched Jaebum for a moment.

 

"I'm picking someone else out today," Jaebum said, "but when I want to invite more into my home, you two will be the first ones I choose."

 

At that, Mark and Jinyoung blushed and turned away, showing Jaebum their beautiful tails. Then, Jaebum turned and glanced at the cat pens.

 

 _Wait_ , he told himself. _Those are last. You already have Nora_.

 

So, with that in mind, he made a move towards the dog pens.

 

His eyes landed on two pups playing together, both smiling widely and tumbling. He approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt, but the pups both looked up, curious and probably smelling him from a distance.

 

The blonde pup smiled and bounced up to the bars with a huge grin. His smile literally stretched nearly from ear to ear which should've been a little creepy (but it was actually really cute). The brunette pup hung back, watching Jaebum with a cautious look on his face and mistrusting body language.

 

Jaebum had wanted to ask who had hurt him, but now was not the time to be a meme.

 

"Hi!" The blonde pup was cheery and loud, two things that Jaebum didn't usually like but on this pup... it was cute.

 

"Hello," Jaebum replied. The pup's smile dimmed a bit when he noticed that his friend wasn't by his side, so Jaebum looked back at the other to see the other at the right edge of the pen, sulking and talking to Mark while occasionally glancing back at Jaebum. When he caught Jaebum's eye, he blushed slightly, then scowled, _then_ turned back to Mark.

 

"My name is Youngjae. Who are you?" The blonde pup, Youngjae, was sniffing at him now. It was then that Jaebum could see the cute floppy brown ears poking out of the pretty blonde hair on top of Youngjae's head and the soft brown tail moving fluidly behind the boy.

 

"Jaebum," he replied softly, still watching the other pup out of the corner of his eye. He didn't want to say anything, but the way the other pup was interacting with Mark was _cute_.

 

Youngjae seemed to finally notice his gaze, followed it, then smiled a little sadly. "That's Jackson. He's been here the longest and it's taken a toll on him." He looked back at Jaebum. "You look like you really like him."

 

"He's marvellous," flew out of Jaebum's mouth before he realised.

 

Why did his cheeks feel so hot?

 

Youngjae grinned.

 

Oh.

 

"I'll go get him for you." With that, Youngjae bounced away, leaving Jaebum standing alone with his mouth open. Youngjae tugged on the other pup's sleeve and Jaebum watched as the brunette turned and smiled sweetly at Youngjae. They exchanged a few words, with the brunette glancing at Jaebum every now and then, before his sweet face grew cold and Youngjae's eyes grew teary. Their ears flopped and the brunette turned back to Mark, sulking, while Youngjae slouched and trudged back to Jaebum.

 

"I-I'm sorry, but he didn't want to talk to you." Youngjae looked up at Jaebum, eyes large and wet, causing Jaebum to become worried. Jaebum looked around for a staff member, and he was slightly relieved and thinking of a plan when his eyes landed on him.

 

"Excuse me?" Jaebum called. Youngjae looked at Jaebum with wider eyes than before as the staff member made his way over. His nametag read 'Jooheon' and he had the deepest dimples Jaebum had ever seen.

 

"How can I help you?" The smile was fake on Jooheon's face, like he abhorred being there, but then he took one look at Jackson and his smile became genuine. As if they were friends.

 

"Do you have any rooms where I can speak to a hybrid in private?" Jaebum didn't think that the facility would have something like that, because the building was pretty small, but he had to ask anyway.

 

He wanted to ask Youngjae some questions about Jackson. He knew that that would be pretty shitty, and taking advantage of Youngjae, but he was _so_ curious about the other hybrid and he knew Jackson wouldn't talk to him until he trusted Jaebum. Also, Jaebum wanted to adopt the brunette, but he wouldn't do so until: a, he had Youngjae's permission; b, Jackson trusted him; and c, he maybe convinced Youngjae to come with them.

 

He didn't know which hybrid was his favourite out of the ones he's met so far, but he knew that Jackson was exquisite and he had to know more.

 

"We do, sir, but we need you to sign a waiver first." Jooheon looked a little more gloomy now seeing that Jackson wasn't happy to be seeing Jaebum. "Also, may I ask which hybrid it is that you wish to speak with? Usually we don't allow this until after the hybrid has been adopted, but the hybrids all seem to really trust you..." _Except one_ , he seemed to suggest. Jaebum's fists clenched, then released, because he _understood_ , but he was _trying_ to make it better.

 

"I'll sign the waiver, no problem. I want to speak with Youngjae." He gestured toward the blond pup and ignored the way Jooheon's face fell and eyes seemed to stray towards Jackson. Then, they snapped back to Jaebum and Jooheon stiffly nodded.

 

"Let me go get the waiver for you. I'll just be a moment." He left, and Jaebum was left alone with the hybrids. He risked a look at Jackson to see the other glancing at him curiously while still chatting with Mark. Jaebum smiled softly, but Jackson only turned his head away as fast as possible.

 

How did he not get a crick in his neck?

 

"Sir?" It seems time had passed while he was looking at Jackson because the next thing he knew, Jooheon was standing next to him again with an expectant expression (mixing with something Jaebum likened to _anger_ ) and a clipboard. Jooheon leaned in slightly, next to Jaebum's ear, and whispered.

 

"Don't even fucking _think_ about adopting Jackson because your sorry ass can't afford his affection and honestly? He doesn't need to be hurt again by someone who thinks he's pretty and nothing else."

 

Jaebum frowned angrily and leaned back, meeting Jooheon's gaze head on. "If you think my intentions are really as low and shallow as that, then you've got another thing coming, pal."

 

Jooheon and Jaebum glared at one another for a moment before Youngjae tugged softly on Jooheon's sweater. The staff member broke gaze with Jaebum to look at the hybrid who smiled sweetly back at him.

 

"I'd like to talk with Mr Jaebum. Is that okay?" Jooheon's gaze grew soft at the cuteness of the younger boy and he nodded, reluctantly handing the waiver over to Jaebum. Jaebum's grip was stiff, and he was maybe pressing on the pen too hard, but that didn't matter because when Jaebum handed the clipboard and pen back, Jooheon looked like he swallowed a sour lemon, and that totally made up for it.

 

"This way, please," Jooheon practically spat. Jaebum's opinion of him was lowering every time he opened his mouth, but he knew the other was only trying to protect Jackson if the constant protective looks he was throwing the pup's way was any indication.

 

Jaebum and Youngjae followed Jooheon towards a door in the back of the room, barred with a large 'STAFF ONLY' sign. The door swung open and Jooheon walked quickly but quietly down the hall to a door at the end of the hall on the right. All the other doors, Jaebum noticed, were locked, and he was incredibly curious about the noises that were coming out of the rooms, but that thought was put on the back burner when Jooheon opened the door.

 

"I'll give you two five minutes, then after that, you're going back to the central room." Youngjae shuffled in, tail flopping around softly behind him (showing not happiness but anxiety. Jaebum wanted to stroke his hair). Jaebum walked in quickly after him, and heard a slam behind him not two seconds after his foot crossed over the threshold.

 

"Asshole," he mumbled to himself, momentarily forgetting that Youngjae was in the room as well. He was broken out of his stupor when he heard Youngjae giggling, so they met gazes and Jaebum couldn't help but laugh.

 

(No, really, he couldn't help it. Youngjae's laugh is fucking contagious.)

 

"What did you want to talk about, hyung? Is it about Jackson?" Youngjae asked when Jaebum's laughter died down. Jaebum nodded and Youngjae sighed, moving to sit on the small bed on the right side of the room (how did Jaebum miss that?). Jaebum looked around for another seat and thought himself lucky when he spotted a small desk with an equally small chair. He sat facing Youngjae.

 

"Well, Jackson has had a pretty troubled past, and I shouldn't be the one to tell you. All you need to know is that he's been adopted too many times to count, but he's always sent back because the owner didn't like him or something stupid like that. He's become pretty closed off, even to the rest of us hybrids. We're family to him at this point, but I'm not entirely sure that that's what he wants. Honestly, if he was adopted for longer than a month, then at this point, he'll be on the right track." Youngjae looked over at Jaebum with wide eyes. "Will you be the one to adopt him and keep him for good?"

 

And of _course_ , just as Jaebum opened his mouth to answer Youngjae, the door opened and Jooheon's silhouette was staring them down.

 

"Your five minutes are up. Let me take you back to the central pet room where you can make a decision." Jaebum begrudgingly stood up and shuffled after Jooheon, Youngjae following just behind him. He felt Youngjae's hand in his for a brief second before it disappeared. He wondered if he imagined it.

 

Youngjae jogged ahead of him slightly to catch up with Jooheon, and the two fell into an easy conversation. Jaebum was left on the outside. He didn't know why he expected anything else.

 

They were led back to the central pet room where Youngjae was put back into his pen with Jackson. The brunette pup broke his conversation with Mark and Jinyoung and bounced over, throwing his arms around Youngjae and nuzzling into his cheek. Youngjae laughed, but Jaebum noticed Jackson glaring at him around it.

 

"Well?" Jooheon asked, waiting impatiently (Jaebum really wanted him to stop tapping his _fucking_ foot. He was going to notify the girl at the front counter about his shitty behaviour towards customers). Jaebum looked between the two pups, the two peacocks, then looked longingly at the cat area. He could see two cats playing with each other, one tall with red hair and the other slightly thinner with a sort of foreign beauty. He shook his head and looked back at the pup pen, looking at both Youngjae and Jackson.

 

"I'll take them both." He was firm in his statement before flushing, realising Jooheon may not have known who he meant. "Youngjae and Jackson, that is."

 

The other three looked at him with expressions akin to seeing a ghost. He looked between the three of them, curious if he had said the wrong thing.

 

Jooheon was the first to break out of his shock, his face changing into anger. "Look, buddy, I don't know who you -"

 

"Jooheonie," a new voice cut Jooheon off. All gazes flew to Jackson, who was still hanging off the back of Youngjae. "Just get the paperwork. Let's get this over with." He got off of Youngjae and stretched, tail moving slowly behind him. "The sooner he adopts me, the sooner I'll be back here with the rest of the hybrids." Jooheon nodded stiffly and made his way back to the hallway from before. Jaebum was left staring at Youngjae and Jackson, while they stared back at him.

 

Then, Youngjae broke into a wide grin and he spun around to face Jackson. Jackson looked up a little to Youngjae, surprised.

 

"Did you hear that, hyung? We're getting adopted!" Jackson seemed to scowl and glare directly at Jaebum. Jaebum shuffled awkwardly on his feet.

 

"You're the one that's really getting adopted, Youngjae. He just sees me as a conquest, a challenge to overcome. Just let it happen. You and I were probably going to be split in the future anyway."

 

Youngjae spun around and glared at Jackson before Jaebum could say anything. "Hyung, with all due respect, you need to shut the fuck up. Jaebum is here to adopt us and you know what? He's nice. He's incredibly nice and smart and knows what's going on, so you need to just let things happen. You need to remember that I've met the other people who have adopted you and Jaebum is nothing like them. He's different."

 

Jackson glared up at Youngjae. "That's what they all say just before they send me back. I don't need someone else sending me back as well." Then, he turned his glare on Jaebum. "You better be what Youngjae is describing you as or else I will walk myself back here to be put up for adoption again."

 

And yeah, Jaebum himself was fairly intimidating, but Jackson was actually quite frightening when he was angry, so Jaebum just found himself nodding, speechless. Youngjae beamed and Jackson smirked.

 

Jaebum then found a new clipboard shoved into his chest, still held by Jooheon. Jooheon smiled thinly and tapped the clipboard on Jaebum's chest.

 

"Just fill these papers out and you'll be all set to go." Jaebum looked down at the papers and sighed to himself, because this was going to be a long day.

 

 

 

"Here," Jaebum handed the clipboard back to Jooheon half an hour later with all the necessary information printed out. Jooheon smiled grimly, taking the board and looking over everything Jaebum had written. They were now sitting out in the foyer, where Cherise was tapping things out on her desktop and barely managing to be subtle about looking over it at Jaebum. Jaebum knew he was dressed well, and he knew he wasn't exactly what people were expecting to see, especially in a hybrid adoption centre, but here he was anyway. He could care less about the staring.

 

"Everything is filled out," Jooheon remarked, surprised, as if it didn't happen often. Jaebum grinned meanly and leaned back in his chair, staring up at Jooheon. "You even filled out the information about the hybrids."

 

"Well, all I needed was their name and breed, and you put signs up on the pens. Almost like in a pet store."

 

"Well, this is _sort of_ a pet store."

 

Jaebum stood. "The hybrids in this centre are not pets and you damn well know that. Stop trying to dissuade me from adopting Jackson." Jooheon and Cherise, from behind her monitor, both looked at him in thinly veiled shock, astounded at the words coming from Jaebum.

 

Then, Jooheon grimaced. "Alright. I'll just hand this paperwork over to Cherise for an input into the system, then the store owner will take a final look. Then you'll be free to take them home." With that, Jooheon walked away, handing the papers to Cherise behind the counter before slipping through the door to the back. Jaebum was left alone in his chair in the front foyer listening to the _click click click_ of the keyboard.

 

Now, Jaebum is a calmer person than he was a few years ago, but the clicking of her keyboard was about to drive him out of his fucking mind. He tried to distract himself by pulling out his phone, but all he saw were messages from his boss reminding him of all the work he had to do by tomorrow morning and he _really_ didn't want to deal with it. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and decided to stare at the blue walls. They were boring, but it was better than thinking about work tomorrow. Or anything else.

 

Finally, _finally_ , right as he was about to crack, Jooheon came back, followed by Youngjae, Jackson and an unknown, taller woman with a stern expression but kind eyes. Youngjae bounded right up to Jaebum and threw him arms around his neck, tucking himself into Jaebum's side. Jackson, Jooheon and the strange lady watched the exchange silently, not even moving. Jaebum, however, smiled at Jackson over the top of Youngjae's head. Jackson looked away.

 

Of course, Jooheon broke the silence by clearing his throat and saying, "Ms Kim, this is the man who is adopting Jackson and Youngjae." The woman, Ms Kim, looked critically at Jaebum, scanning him up and down as if assessing him.

 

Jaebum felt a little like a lab rat, and all he was doing was adopting two hybrids.

 

Jooheon seemed to sense the tension _again_ and stepped forward, helping Jaebum out. "If you go over to the counter where Cherise is, she'll go ahead and deal with your payment." Jaebum smiled at Jooheon, thankful for the other for the first time, and was rewarded with Jooheon stepping back in surprise. Then, Jaebum carefully unlatched Youngjae from his body and took a step away, seeing what would happen. Youngjae just then clamped onto Jackson, who happily returned his hug outside of the menacing glare he was giving Jaebum. Jaebum felt a shiver go down his spine and turned to Ms Kim.

 

He bowed. "Thank you for letting me adopt these two. I'm sure we'll get along amazingly." He side-eyed Youngjae and Jackson and totally missed the surprised look that Ms Kim was giving him, still having not said anything.

 

Then, he moved away. The other four were left in silence before Youngjae spoke up, speaking directly to Jackson.

 

"What about Mark, Jinyoung and the others? Do you think Jaebummie might adopt them as well?" Jackson tightened his grip on Youngjae.

 

"I hope so 'Jae, because I want them all to have a good home." _Even though I know I'm coming back_ , he thought to himself. Ms Kim stepped forward, smiling softly, and put her hand on Jackson's head.

 

"I hope you have finally found the place to belong, Jackson. He seems like a good man." Jackson was surprised at that, because Ms Kim had _never_ said that the person adopting Jackson was good. He supposed that maybe he actually had to trust Jaebum now.

 

He snorted then buried his nose in Youngjae's blond hair. Like _that_ was ever going to happen.

 

Jaebum came back, looking happy as can be and holding a stack of papers. Cherise followed him, holding two leashes and two collars, one blue set and one yellow set, along with two small suitcases.

 

Jaebum figured the two bags were the hybrids' things, but he didn't want to pry.

 

Cherise clipped the blue set onto Jackson and the yellow onto Youngjae, and since Jackson's had his name inscribed, Jaebum would say he's _definitely_ gone through this process more than a few times. In fact, Youngjae looked uncomfortable, tugging at the collar around his neck, while Jackson seemed nonplussed, gazing out the window while Cherise handed the other ends of the leashes to Jaebum. He gave her a highly uncomfortable smile, and she gave him a beaming one back. He then bowed to both Jooheon, for helping him, and Ms Kim, for letting him adopt the two, then left with the hybrids trailing behind him.

 

It was only when they were around the corner that Jaebum unclipped the leashes from their collars and shoved them into his large coat pocket while still holding their adoption papers. The two hybrids looked at him, surprised, but he then explained.

 

"You two are beings that can have your own thought process and your own free will. I'm only your owner on paper. Hopefully, though, we can otherwise be friends." He grinned widely at the two and received a blinding beam from Youngjae and Jackson looking away from the two of them. "If you don't want to be under my care, you are free to go at any time. Just know that my door is always open if you ever need anything." Then, he turned around, away from the two hybrids and began the walk home.

 

He heard the occasional tapping of feet and figured that at least Youngjae was following him. However, he turned at one point and saw that the two hybrids were following him still as he rounded the corner onto his street. Their hands were interlocked and Jaebum immediately took on a teasing note.

 

"Are you two dating? Eh?" Youngjae blushed and looked away while Jackson sputtered at Jaebum and seemed to bulk up, defending himself.

 

"Youngjae and I are not dating. He's..." Jackson looked down at Youngjae, who shook his head behind Jaebum's back. "He's taken."

 

"Oh?" Jaebum fell in stride with the two hybrids, and Jackson put his arm over Youngjae's shoulder to protect him. "And who is it?"

 

Youngjae and Jackson looked at each other as Jaebum trotted up to the front door.

 

"I want you guys to know," Jaebum said before either Youngjae or Jackson could answer. The two hybrids looked at him, startled, as he unlocked the door. "I have a -"

 

The door was open and a monochrome blob shot out, immediately weaving between Jaebum's legs. The hybrid's twin gazes both looked down at the blob.

 

"This is my cat, Nora." Jaebum smiled down at the cat and nudged her back inside with his foot. The two hybrids looked at each other, still having not said anything. Jaebum moved inside the doorframe and waved the two hybrids inside. They followed him, slowly, into the house where they were going to live from now on.

 

It was beautiful inside. Since Jaebum had inherited the place from his late rich aunt, there were still signs all over the place of a lack of use, like the sitting parlour and the left hallway off from the massive foyer. Jaebum didn’t seem like the type of guy to like living in such a large, excessively lavish home, Jackson especially had a hard time believing that this was actually where Jaebum lived.

 

The foyer itself was massive. The walls were a beautiful cream colour, lined with a rich brown that also decorated the window frames. The floor was a white tile, but with a deep red running carpet going straight down the room to where there was a large winding staircase, going up and up and up until it disappeared into the next floor. There was a sitting room on the right side of the foyer with clear French doors and a deep brown couch they could see from where they were standing. On the left side was a smaller, plainer door, still white with a deep brown lining. There were two tables in the foyer, one straight ahead and one on the left, just next to the plain door. Both tables were decorated with a fresh bouquet of wild flowers from the garden they passed outside. There were also signs of Jaebum and Nora living here, from the shoes cluttered next to the door, just above the step into the foyer, and a few cat toys laying around. Nora was playing with one of the toys, just to the right of where Jaebum and the hybrids were standing.

 

"Well, this is where I live, and where you guys will stay from now." He looked back at the hybrids with a panicked expression. "If you want to, that is."

 

Youngjae was the first to react, pulling away from Jackson and smiling at the fumbling human. "I'd be happy to stay here. Jacksonnie?" He looked back at the brunette pup, who looked away and glared at Nora, now weaving herself in between Jaebum's legs again.

 

"We'll see," he muttered, finally leaning down and cooing at the cat. She perked up and moved toward him, sniffing at his palm before butting her head into it.

 

Jaebum smiled softly. "It seems she likes you." Jackson looked up at Jaebum, scowling at him, before looking back down at Nora and letting his features soften.

 

Jaebum cleared his throat. "Anyway," he started. "I'll show you to your rooms. They're just upstairs - I called ahead to make sure that they were made up for you."

 

"Called ahead?" Youngjae asked. "Do you live with anybody?"

 

Jaebum looked away, down at where Jackson was petting Nora. "No, I have a maid. Not by choice, though - she served my mother's aunt before she died. She's also a hybrid, but she has her own family. Only comes here for about two hours every week, and I pay her well. I don't want her to feel chained down to me, but this is her job, so I try to be as lenient as I can."

 

The three looked at each other for a moment before Jaebum cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'll show you to your rooms, then I'm going to make dinner. Follow me," he turned and began climbing the left staircase. Youngjae trotted after the human then turned back when he couldn't sense Jackson following him.

 

"Are you okay Jacksonnie?" He asked, doubling back and letting Jaebum lead himself away. He kneeled next to Jackson and set his hand on the other pup's back. Jackson leaned into Youngjae and watched Jaebum walk away, still not saying anything until the other was completely around the corner.

 

"I just don't trust him, is all." Youngjae nodded softly and stared down the hall.

 

"I don't really trust him either, but one of us has to pretend." Youngjae then smiled down at Jackson. "And trust me, I know you aren't entirely up to the task, so I'll do it instead. If we survive here to the morning, I'll count that as a success."

 

"Guys?" Jaebum's voice drifted down to them from upstairs. The two pups stood up and glanced at each other, both holding back a wince.

 

"We're in this together." Jackson said. Youngjae nodded. Then, they both trotted up the stairs after Jaebum, not entirely sure of what to expect.

 

Jaebum was stopped in front of a room. Youngjae was closer to Jaebum when the two hybrids stopped walking, and Jaebum definitely noticed, but he didn't say anything about it.

 

"I don't know if you two would prefer rooming together or not, so I had two rooms organised anyway." Youngjae and Jackson looked at each other _again_ (were either of these boys a fully independent person?).

 

"Together -"

 

"Alone -"

 

To Jaebum's surprise, Jackson was the one who said alone. Youngjae and Jaebum both gave Jackson matching looks of exasperation before Jackson shrugged.

 

"Why not?"

 

"Alright then," Jaebum rushed to say before Youngjae could start arguing. He figured they could probably sort it out later. "Whatever you ultimately decide is fine, but I had this room prepared for Youngjae. Jackson, your room is the next one to the left, and mine is at the end of the hallway. If you need anything at any time, I'll be there, in the study downstairs or at work. I'll buy you both new phones so you can reach me whenever you need to, and some new clothes so you have things that are truly yours." Jaebum looked down the hall, towards his own room, possibly thinking, before looking back at the two hybrids.

 

"I'm going to go downstairs in a few minutes and make dinner for the three of us.” He turned and immediately began walking quickly to get away from the two of them. Jackson and Youngjae looked at each other curiously before shrugging and going into Youngjae’s new room.

 

 

Forty-five minutes later, a delicious aroma came wafting up the stairs. Youngjae was the first to stand up, going over to the door and just sniffing. Jackson couldn’t make it out from where he was laying on the bed.

 

Not two minutes later, Jaebum called the two down to dinner. Youngjae, of course, went first, acting as a sort of shield for Jackson. The brunette pup followed, wandering a curious few feet behind Youngjae.

 

The staircase was steep and winding, but now that Jackson had the chance, he glanced at the walls and the decorations hanging. There were a few photos of some older woman in expensive looking clothing, and a couple of a young boy that looked remarkably like Jaebum (it couldn’t be Jaebum though, because the boy in the photo was _smiling_. Jaebum seemed like he would never do that).

 

(Then again, Jackson thought _Jinyoung_ couldn’t smile at first yet by now, he’s seen it countless times.)

 

The walls here were painted a wine red, to match the running carpet downstairs. Other than those few portraits, there were paintings all down the walls to line the staircase, which went up another floor or two on its winding trajectory. The stairs themselves were carpeted and felt soft under Jackson’s bare feet (why had he been convinced to take his shoes off?) and were a soft brown colour.

 

He breathed out softly, eyes looking over the photographs once more then finishing descending the stairs.

 

When he finally got downstairs, he made a right and went straight for the kitchen. Well… he wasn’t going to lie: it smelled amazing in there. Like spices and… _beef_.

 

He started salivating, and unknowingly, he walked faster until he was finally in the kitchen doorway.

 

Jaebum was standing at what Jackson assumed was the stovetop, cooking up something. There was a chopping board on the island behind him and a few open spice bottles sitting on the counter beside him. Youngjae was sitting on the counter, tail wagging and laughter resonating at something Jaebum had said.

 

Jackson continued to stand in the doorway for a few moments, just watching the scene, as Jaebum danced around a little and Youngjae continued laughing. He noticed Youngjae’s nose twitch and ears swivel toward him for just a moment, but moved back to where they were when Jaebum turned around. That’s how Jackson knew Youngjae was aware of him.

 

Jaebum then took notice of Jackson, not with his ears, but with his eyes. His face lit up with a smile and Jackson tried not to stare.

 

“Hey!” Jaebum greeted, turning and throwing a couple more spices into the pan he was stirring. Jackson’s gaze _then_ zeroed in on the pan Jaebum was standing over, where he could see thin strips of beef sizzling in the pan, surrounded by a few strips of capsicum and carrot. Jackson almost missed the next thing Jaebum said because he was so focused on the food.

 

“I’m sorry there isn’t too much meat itself,” Jaebum was saying. “I had prepared this last night with the full intention of feeding only myself. I made some vegetables and a ton of rice to try and make it go a bit further to feed all three of us. I hope that’s okay.”

 

Jackson nodded mutely and took the seat next to Youngjae. Out of the view of Jaebum, the two hybrids intertwined tails behind themselves, as a security thing. They sat together, watching as Jaebum finished the cooking quickly and then dished everything up and set it on the island in front of them.

 

“We could go sit at the kitchen table,” Jaebum casually remarked, picking up his chopsticks and ignoring the fact that the hybrids were now completely frozen. Did he wanted them to sit at the table? Did they fuck up somehow?

 

“But,” he continued, digging into his bulgogi, “I figured you guys wouldn’t mind a slightly more… informal setting, I suppose. I didn’t want to overwhelm you on your first night, and thought a dinner at the table would be a bit too stifling and not inviting enough.” He looked up, first at Youngjae, then at Jackson and holding his gaze for a moment. Jackson stiffened. “If you have anything you want to ask me, or if either of you ever need to come to me for anything, please know that my figurative door is always open.”

 

Youngjae smiled at Jaebum, finally picking up his own chopsticks.

 

“Thank you Jaebum-ssi,” he let a bit of his Korean heritage out and missed Jaebum’s faint smile at the honourific, “we’ll keep that in mind.” Jackson nodded in agreement then took a sip of his water glass (when was that placed I front of him?).

 

It was silent for a few moments as all three tried to think of something to say.

 

Youngjae was the one who finally broke the tension. “You know, Jaebum-ssi,” he started, still casually eating, “bulgogi is Jackson’s favourite food.”

 

Jackson and Jaebum both froze, chopsticks halfway to their mouths. Youngjae glanced up at the pair, then looked back down and kept eating. Jackson and Jaebum side-eyed each other for a second before looking back down at their plates, a light pink flush over both of their cheeks.

 

They didn’t see Youngjae grinning into his food.

 

 

 

“Don’t worry about feeling like you two have to clean up, guys,” Jaebum said as Jackson and Youngjae set their dishes in the sink. The two hybrids blinked at each other then turned their heads back toward the counter, where Jaebum was sitting with his head cupped in his hands. He was smiling softly at the two. “I’ll go ahead and do it, so you guys can do whatever you want for the rest of the night.”

 

Jackson nodded first, taking his hands out of the sink and walked to the kitchen doorway. He paused for a second, saying a quick, “Goodnight,” before practically sprinting the rest of the way out, up the spiral staircase and into the second door on the left – his room.

 

There was a bit of laughter trailing up the stairs behind him, a sign that Youngjae and Jaebum were having a great time without him. It had only been a few seconds, after all. How much fun could they be having? Not much, Jackson knew that much. They had only met today! What could they possibly be bonding over already?

 

He sighed and sat on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He could hear music playing from somewhere, but he didn’t really want to get up and investigate right now.

 

Now, he just wanted to sleep…

 

 

 

… But it seemed his body didn’t want to let him sleep for more than a few hours at most, like always, so when his eyes blinked open at 1.31 AM, he couldn’t be surprised. He had had dinner fairly early, anyway. It was probably about eight when he got back to his room, and he had fallen asleep almost right now.

 

The first thing he noticed was the clock. The second, however, was how _thirsty_ he felt. Jackson had forgotten that he usually had to have a lot of water after bulgogi or else his throat would be really dry in the morning (and he had no idea why this happened, but it did, and he wasn’t going to argue against it).

 

So, Jackson stood and shuffled over to the door. Through it, he could hear Youngjae’s soft snores, but he couldn’t hear anything from Jaebum’s room. He pulled the door open softly, keeping his ears open for any sounds in the corridor. When he heard none, he opened his door the rest of the way, stepped out onto the hallway carpet and closed his door behind him.

 

There was a rich smell of hot chocolate coming from downstairs, and Jackson’s nose followed it like a dog to a bone (which is… a not inaccurate analogy, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it).

 

The carpet was soft and warm, and Jackson focused on the feeling of it rather than where he was going. The only three rooms he had been in so far were his room, the bathroom, and the kitchen, and the hot chocolate scent wasn’t coming from any of those rooms. He would have to leave it up to his instincts to take him where he wanted to go.

 

Jackson also used these couple of moments to reflect, mostly on his new status at Jaebum’s… pet? No, that wasn’t the right word. Too dehumanising. Maybe… companion? No, that wasn’t right either.

 

Friend?

 

Jackson smiled a little to himself. He hadn’t had a human friend before. It was nice to think that after all his suffering and pain, he could finally call a human… a friend.

 

It was a comforting thought.

 

He wasn’t paying attention to the feeling of the floor beneath his feet, but when he stepped on cool wood, he stopped. Jackson was in the doorway of the living room. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, the embers almost dead now.

 

And there, sitting in the large armchair and facing the fire, was Jaebum, fast asleep.

 

Jackson blinked at him, and the cliché of finding the guy he doesn’t like in such a vulnerable position. It was just like some sappy drama, and he mused on it as he slinked closer to Jaebum. The light was casting a soft glow onto his cheeks, and his mouth was drooped slightly open. He didn’t have a blanket covering him and looked a bit chilly, especially now that the fire had died down a bit, so Jackson looked around. He found a knitted blanket draped over the back of the brown couch, with dull greens, reds and blues. The colourful blanket didn’t match the rich brown and red décor, but who was Jackson to judge?

 

He grabbed the blanket from the couch and draped it softly around Jaebum, tucking the ends beneath his feet and under his chin. Jaebum relaxed slightly, shifting and getting into a more comfortable position, all while asleep. Jackson looked at him for a few moments, then at the fire, still burning. There were a few logs next to the pit, so Jackson opened the fireplace door, stuck the logs in carefully, shuffled everything around with a poker for a minute before closing the door and relishing in the now-restarted fire. The brunette looked back at the stairs for a minute before his eyes wandered to Jaebum, and two minutes later, he found himself curling up on the floor in front of Jaebum’s armchair. The heat of the fire warming his back and the sounds of Jaebum’s soft snores lulled him to sleep.

 

 

 

Of course, Jaebum woke up a few minutes later, needing to use the restroom. He felt a soft weight laying over him, and glanced down groggily to see the blanket that usually lay over the back of the couch, the one his grandmother knitted for him before she passed. Usually, he would only use the blanket when he was laying on the couch for a nap, so he was confused as to why it was suddenly across the room and on his lap, especially since he didn’t remember putting it there.

 

Then he looked down in front of the chair and saw Jackson, curled up in a ball at the junction of the couch and the floor. Jaebum smiled softly, looking down at Jackson’s slowly moving chest. The hybrid whined lowly, shuffling a little further away from the fire and a little closer to Jaebum. He was still asleep, so Jaebum took the chance to lean down and touch his forehead. It was a bit warm, probably from both the fire warming his back and his natural sleeping temperature. Plus, Jaebum added in his head belatedly, dogs have a higher inner temperature than humans, and dog hybrids were somewhere in the middle of the two.

 

The hybrid squirmed again, still wiggling closer to Jaebum, and more so Jaebum’s hand. Jaebum removed his hand and stood from the chair, a bit to the side so he wouldn’t step on Jackson. Jackson sighed and curled in on himself. The man awake decided to take the blanket that was now laying on the couch and wrap it around the hybrid. Jackson wiggled a little (he's so active while sleeping) and made a little cooing noise, shuffling down into the blanket and tucking his face in.

 

Jaebum smiled softly at how cute the hybrid was as he bent down and picked up his living burrito. He knew Jackson probably wouldn’t be okay with this treatment while he was awake, but for now, Jaebum would indulge himself in the caretaker role he never got to fill.

 

He thought about putting the hybrid on the couch to sleep before ultimately deciding against it – his own record of sleeping on that couch was a few hours before his back started to ache. He turned with his sleeping bundle and made headway for the hybrid’s room.

 

Jaebum took this moment to reflect on a few things. Firstly, his relationship with Jackson. He didn’t think about it for long, just enough to feel a twinge of pain at the thought that Jackson didn’t like him much. This made him wonder – why did he hate humans like Jaebum so much?

 

Unfortunately, he didn’t get a ton of time to ponder, because –

 

“ – Jaebum-hyung?” Jaebum stopped at the top of the stairs, Youngjae standing in front of him. The pup was rubbing his eye and Jaebum found it oddly endearing.

 

“What are you doing with Jackson?” The pup took his hand away from his face. Jaebum hoisted Jackson a little higher to get a better grip.

 

Then he answered, “He fell asleep downstairs, so I’m just bringing him up here.” He chuckled quietly. “That couch isn’t too comfortable.”

 

Youngjae stood silently for a moment, studying the lines of Jaebum’s face, before nodding. “Alright. Do you want me to take him? You’ve had a long day.”

 

Jaebum shook his head. “Nah, you get some sleep. I’ll tuck him in then go to bed myself. I have an early day tomorrow anyway.” Youngjae nodded, said goodnight, then went back into his room, closing the door softly so he didn’t wake up Jackson. Jaebum smiled at the blonde pup and then walked to Jackson’s door, bending down a tiny bit to jostle the knob. He let himself into the dark room, which was still bare from Jackson not having any material possessions.

 

But he didn’t let himself dwell on that. He shuffled Jackson around in his arms a little so most of the pup’s weight was on his right arm while his left hand tugged at the bed covers. They were still ruffled and pushed open from Jackson getting up earlier, whenever that was.

 

Jaebum set Jackson down on the bedsheets, still wrapped in the quilt. He pulled open the quilt and tugged it out from underneath the pup, then pulled up the sheets and tucked them around the sleeping pup. Jackson sighed again and wiggled further down into the sheets, his hand coming up to curl around the edge of the blanket. Jaebum laid out the quilt on top of the thin duvet, then stepping back and admiring his work. Satisfied, he turned and left.

 

He didn’t see Jackson’s eyes opened slightly at his back and the soft smile that overtook the brunette’s face before his eyes closed again and he drifted to sleep until morning.

 

 

 

When Jackson woke, he was incredibly confused. He didn’t remember his little early morning trip _at all_ , so this new blanket sitting on his bed was dizzying.

 

He pushed the blankets off and stood on quick feet, glancing down at the quilt once again. Jackson had no idea where it came from, but it seemed to fall in with his dream of a fireplace.

 

His feet carried him out of the room before he had realised it, taking him to the kitchen on a familiar path. He took a deep breath at the door, then stepped through it, eyes landing on a familiar scene.

 

Youngjae was once again sitting at the counter, only reading a book this time, while Jaebum was standing at the stove, humming and swaying his hips. Jackson recognised the song as the new release from SNSD, a girl group he knew Bam really liked.

 

It was then that the smell hit Jackson, just as hard as it hit him last night. It wasn’t meat this time, but some sort of egg-filled toast. There were other sweet scents too, like sugar and cinnamon.

 

Jackson wasn’t aware his tail started wagging slowly at the scent of one of his favourite breakfasts.

 

“Morning!” Youngjae called as soon as he sniffed out Jackson. Jaebum jumped and turned his head, looking straight into Jackson’s eyes for a solid moment, then looking back down at the pan he was standing over. Jackson took a deep breath, remembering his dream for a short second before waving it away and shuffling over to sit next to Youngjae. Youngjae smiled at him as he sat down then turned back to his book.

 

“Why did you call me hyung last night, Youngjae?” Jaebum asked. Jackson watched Youngjae’s eyes go wide and his shoulders tense.

 

“Youngjae was born in Korea,” Jackson cut in, saving Youngjae from telling the rest of the story. Jaebum seemed to accept that as an answer, nodding his head, still pushing around whatever was in the pan.

 

Jackson’s tail started to wag again at the sweet smell.

 

Jaebum turned around, still holding the pan, and distributing what was in it onto two plates in front of him.

 

It was French toast. One of Jackson’s favourites.

 

He grinned as a plate with two slices was set down in front of him. The blonde pup automatically started reaching for the maple syrup that was set on the counter. He drizzled on a healthy amount, along with some strawberries from a bowl on the counter.

 

He then looked up as he was grabbing some silverware, seeing a fond look on Jaebum’s face and an incredulous look on Youngjae’s.

 

"What?" He asked, setting his fork down and chewing his mouthful. Jaebum snorted and sat down heavily on his own chair, one that he dragged behind the counter last night.

 

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Jaebum replied, picking up his own fork and starting to dig into his own food. Jackson stared incredulously, but only for a moment, because the smell of the food was too good to ignore.

 

“What are we doing today, Jaebum?” Youngjae asked, seeming to remember not to call Jaebum hyung.

 

(they weren’t sure if he actually was allowed to call the older man hyung like he did sometimes with Jackson, so he just stayed away from the honorific for now)

 

“Well,” Jaebum started, setting his fork down and wiping his mouth with his napkin (and Jackson _didn’t_ stare at those lips, he _didn’t_ ). “I’m not sure what the two of you are going to be doing, but I have to go to work today.”

 

“Oh, where do you work?” Youngjae followed up, taking another bite of his toast.

 

“I’m the CEO of my brother’s fashion company,” Jaebum replied. Youngjae and Jackson both dropped their forks on their plates and stared at Jaebum in unison.

 

(it was kinda cute how in sync they are)

 

“A CEO?” Youngjae asked, leaning back in his chair. Jackson continued staring with wide eyes and Jaebum looked between the two of them, confused.

 

“Why, what’s wrong with that?”

 

Youngjae choked, then leaned forward in his chair and grabbed his fork hurriedly. Jaebum looked at Jackson, confused, but Jackson followed Youngjae’s example and didn’t say anything.

 

The three of them ate silently for a few moments before Jaebum cleared his throat and set his fork down on his empty plate, the ‘clang’ ringing out. The two hybrids looked up, Youngjae eating his last bite and Jackson still with half a slice, both of their cheeks full. Jaebum smiled at the sight, standing and grabbing his plate.

 

“I’m off to work now. I’ll probably be done at the office around five-thirty or six, then I’ll stop by the shops to pick up cell phones and withdraw money so you can both go out and still be able to do things and contact me.” Jaebum set his plate in the sink. “Just so you know, Minho, our housekeeper, should be around at about eleven. Should be done by one or two, but it’s probably safe to stay upstairs in my room.”

 

“Why your room?” Youngjae asked. Jaebum set his plate on the drying rack before turning around.

 

“Minho’s been instructed not to go into my room. Just make sure you get lunch beforehand.” Jaebum slid over to where Youngjae and Jackson were sitting and, before either could do anything, kissed them both on the head. Both hybrids were stunned into silence before being released from their impromptu spell with the closing of the front door. Youngjae immediately stood and went to the front door, looking out the skinny window beside it at Jaebum’s back. Jackson stood and went over to the front window, which he found had a lovely view of the entire front yard, including the driveway. Jaebum looked back, to the front window, where he noticed Jackson watching him. Jaebum waved, then tucked himself into his car and backed out.

 

Youngjae moved over to where Jackson was and together, they watched him drive down the street, leaving the two hybrids alone all day.

 

Youngjae looked over at Jackson. “You know what this means, right?” Jackson grinned in return, his mind sparking with ideas.

 

“Nothing dangerous,” Youngjae warned, “and nothing destructive.” Jackson pouted, but his tail was still wagging.

 

 

(by the time Minho got there, there was a blanket fort in the living room and the ingredients for sundaes on the kitchen counter. The housekeeper could hear giggling upstairs, and while he was curious, when he saw the two leashes hanging next to the door, he smiled and went back to folding the blanket fort up.)

 

 

As soon as Minho left, the two hybrids slowly made their way downstairs. Jackson immediately went to the living room and pouted when he saw the blanket fort was dismantled (that doesn’t mean Minho wasn’t kind enough to leave everything they used folded up and deposited onto the couch in neat piles). He got to work with building it back up again.

 

Youngjae, in the meantime, was startled by the sound of the phone ringing in the foyer. When he picked up, he immediately heard loud talking from the other side of the phone.

 

“Hello?” A voice crackled through the speaker. It sounded like Jaebum, so Youngjae greeted the elder back.

 

“Is everything okay there?” Jaebum asked, the loud voices in the back continuing. Youngjae frowned.

 

“We’re okay, hyung. What’s going on over there? Why is it so loud?”

 

“Ahh, don’t worry about that,” Jaebum replied. Youngjae then heard shushing from the other end of the line and assumed that Jaebum was telling the others to keep it down. The background noise died down but only by a little. “You said everything’s all good, yeah?”

 

“Yeah hyung.” Youngjae frowned but didn’t say anything more.

 

“Alright, ‘Jae. Sorry to disturb you – just had a feeling. And Jackson’s okay?”

 

Youngjae smiled softly, looking briefly into the living room. Jackson was re-assembling their blanket fort and humming along to some English song. His tail was wagging along to his singing. It was cute.

 

Youngjae chuckled. “Yeah, he’s okay hyung.”

 

"Good." Youngjae could practically hear the smile on Jaebum's face. "I'll leave you to it, then. Bye Youngjae."

 

"Bye hyung!" The line clicked.

 

 

As the day passed, Jaebum found he couldn't stop thinking about the two hybrids he left in his house. There were times during his long hours in the office when he thought of them and couldn’t get rid of the thought of the two pups, alone in his big house...

 

Needless to say, he called. A lot.

 

The first few times, Youngjae picked up. After a while, he started recognising the number that appeared on the landline every half hour or so, and by the time three o’clock rolled around, he was laughing.

 

During the call at three twenty-four precisely, Jaebum said that he planned to be home around seven, that he wasn’t sure what they wanted to eat, and did Youngjae have any suggestions?

 

“No, hyung, I can’t think of anything,” Youngjae replied, watching Jackson look mesmerised by a boy group performing on the TV.

 

“And what about Jackson? Is he okay? Does he need anything? What does he want for dinner?”

 

“Woah, Jaebum, slow down with the questions,” Youngjae replied, still watching Jackson. “Jackson’s fine. He’s watching the TV right now, and I don’t think he needs anything.” Then, Youngjae pulled the phone away from his ear. “Jackson, what are you wanting for dinner?”

 

The brunette pup looked up from the TV and at Youngjae. “I don’t mind. I don’t know whether Jaebum is making or buying, so...”

 

"I was just thinking of picking up a pizza or two," Youngjae heard Jaebum say from the other end of the line. Youngjae grinned and relayed this to Jackson, whose tail started wagging.

 

"Can we get pineapple?" Jackson asked. Youngjae made a sour face before relaying the question to Jaebum. He heard a noise of disgust from his owner, and laughed, because he agreed.

 

"The things I'll do for that boy, I swear." Youngjae could sense Jaebum shaking his head on the other end of the line, and smiled. "What other flavour should I get?"

 

Youngjae thought for a second, then replied, "Pepperoni?"

 

"Sure," Jaebum replied, voice softer now. "I'll pick it up on the way home. I should be home around seven." Youngjae agreed then bid the older man farewell before the phone line clicked. He set the phone down in its cradle softly and looked back over at Jackson, who was now sitting on the couch looking at the bookcase a few feet away from the fireplace. Youngjae walked into the living room and moved around the couch to sit down next to Jackson, taking the comfortable looking patchwork quilt and setting it over his lap.

 

"I'm sure Jaebum-hyung wouldn't mind if you borrow one of those books to read, Jackson-hyung." Jackson looked over at Youngjae then shook his head in response.

 

"I was just thinking..."

 

"Of what, hyung?"

 

"How long will it take for this owner to take me back?"

 

"He won't!" Youngjae replied immediately, looking at Jackson with disbelief. "Why would he? There's no reason for it."

 

"He doesn't like me. I can already tell."

 

"That's bullshit!" Youngjae exclaimed. "Jaebum really likes you, and we both know it."

 

"Can't be too sure about that," Jackson replied, looking sadly down at his feet. "That's what I thought about my first couple of owners, but obviously, that wasn't the case at all."

 

"Jaebum-hyung is different," Youngjae replied softly. Jackson shrugged in reply.

 

“I’m not so sure about that,” he answered.

 

 

 

The next time Jaebum called, Youngjae grabbed the phone and gave it to Jackson. The brunette pup glanced at it for a second, then looked back at Youngjae, confused. Youngjae leaned over and pressed the answer button.

 

"Hello?" The two pups had amazing hearing and this definitely came in handy sometimes.

 

This was not one of those times.

 

"Hi Jaebum-hyung!" Youngjae called, trying to make himself sound far away. Jackson sighed and pulled the phone up to his ear.

 

"Hi Jaebum," he answered. "What's up?"

 

"Oh, I was just..." Jackson glanced at the clock. 5:43. It had only been two hours and twenty minutes since his last call. Wasn't he supposed to be coming home in an hour? "I was just making sure you guys wanted pizza for dinner and not something else."

 

Jackson snorted. "Yeah, we want pizza." In the background, Youngjae was nodding his head, still watching the game they were playing on Jaebum's massive TV. Jackson's past experiences in other households was beneficial in the smallest ways.

 

"Are you sure? Because I can always get -"

 

"What's the real reason you called, sir?" Jackson asked, softer this time.

 

"I..." Jaebum sighed on the other end of the line, then his next words came through like static. "I just wanted to make sure you two were alright." There was silence for a moment before Jaebum added, "Youngjae, mostly!"

 

Jackson stood silently for a moment, just staring at the wall, because his prediction of Jaebum hating him was coming true. "Yeah, he's fine. Anything else?"

 

Jaebum swore on the other end, then sighed again. "No, that was all."

 

"Then I'm hanging up." Jackson didn't wait for an answer before pressing the 'end call' button and slamming the landline down into the receiver. Youngjae jumped and looked back at Jackson.

 

"Is everything alright?" Youngjae asked. Jackson blinked back a couple tears (why, after all this time, was he still upset about an owner who didn't want him?) and nodded.

 

"I'll be in my room," he answered, turning and rushing up the stairs. Youngjae was left staring after him in disbelief.

 

(What they didn't know was Jaebum cursing himself out in the privacy of his office, throwing things around. His coworkers were terrified.)

 

 

 

Needless to say, Jaebum didn't get home at seven like he promised. Seven rolled around and he was still out, then eight, then nine. By ten o'clock, Youngjae had gone to bed without dinner. Jackson had gone back downstairs to wait for Jaebum.

 

The door opened just after midnight. Jaebum stumbled in, clearly exhausted. Jackson stood up from the couch and faced the door with his arms crossed, ears raised and tail swishing angrily. The image of tears on Youngjae's face earlier that night was imprinted into his brain and holy _shit_ he was ready to let Jaebum know how angry he was.

 

The owner leaned on the doorframe and met Jackson's gaze shyly. Jackson tilted his head to the side and leaned back a little, letting his chest puff out and show his anger.

 

"I know it's late -"

 

"Then why the fuck did you stay out?" Jackson cut Jaebum off. The older man winced at the pup's harsh words and his head hung a little. "Do you know how worried Youngjae was when you didn't come home?"

 

"I didn't mean to be out so late -"

 

"And where the fuck were you? Fucking around? Drinking? That's no fucking excuse Jaebum."

 

Jaebum looked down at his shoes, looking very much like a scolded child. "I was at work. After our call I was rushed into an emergency meeting that didn't let out until half an hour ago. Then I came home."

 

Jackson hummed in reply, thinking to himself for a minute. Then he said, "And you couldn't even think to send a message?"

 

Jaebum sighed and sagged further against the doorframe. "I didn't even think about that. I thought the meeting was going to be over quickly so I could come home on time."

 

Jackson sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Did you at least bring dinner?"

 

Jaebum grinned. "I did - it's in the kitchen." With that he turns, glances up the stairs as if he's going to get a glimpse of the sleeping Youngjae, then strides into the kitchen. The entire room smelled strongly of oily pizza, and Jackson was there for it.

 

"This doesn't mean I forgive you, you know," Jackson muttered, looking at the two pizza boxes sitting innocently on the counter. Jaebum grinned and turned to grab a couple plates, then remembered it was just the two of them and there was no need.

 

"I wouldn't expect you to forgive me so quickly, either way. I'm just surprised you're still talking to me, considering." Jaebum then froze, realising what he had let slip out.

 

"Considering _what_?" Jackson put the pizza slice, that was so close to his lips, down. He stared at Jaebum, waiting.

 

"Considering..." Jaebum sighed and put down his own slice of pizza. "The adoption centre called me today while I was at work."

 

"Oh?" Jackson remained nonchalant and picked up his slice again. "And what did they want?"

 

"They wanted to know why I hadn't returned you yet." Jaebum stared at Jackson. "Why would they want to know something like that, Jackson?"

 

Jackson sighed around the bite in his mouth. "The past few owners I had were... less than savoury, if that makes any sense. I've gotten used to people not wanting me, so at that point, I just decided to speed up the process myself. I wrecked the places on the first night so when the owner woke up the next morning, they would see what I had done, get angry, and return me. I didn't want to get attached."

 

"And why didn't you do that with me?" Jaebum asked. "I've given you more than enough time and reason to."

 

"I like you more than the others," Jackson said, simply, as if that meant something to them both.

 

Jaebum supposed it did. He picked up his pizza again, took a bite, and let the conversation rest.

 

 

("Hey Jackson?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Is there any chance I can ask you... to watch over Youngjae?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Well, I worry about the two of you, but Youngjae seems like the type to worry himself sick, yeah?"

 

"You're right actually - he does that all the time. He's probably worried right now about the hybrids we had to leave at the centre when you adopted us."

 

"Oh, _is_ he now...?"

 

"Yeah. But yeah, I'll watch over him for you."

 

Jaebum had to conceal his giddiness at the sweet, sweet smile Jackson showed him.)

 

There was hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_epilogue_

 

"Bambam, can you pass me the rice?"

 

"What do you say, Jaebummie?"

 

Jaebum sighed. "Please?"

 

Bambam grinned widely and grabbed the rice from in front of Yugyeom, who was chatting with Jinyoung about the trip to America they had to set up for Jaebum as the company's new co-Heads of Transportation. Jinyoung was sitting next to Mark, holding his hand, while Mark was beside Youngjae. The entire gang was here.

 

And Jackson? He was sitting on Jaebum's right side, trying to ignore the fond looks the older CEO was sending him.

 

It was nearly impossible, but he had finally found himself a place to live. A home.

 

(And in the living room, a photo rested above the mantle on the fireplace, a photo of them seven of them, with Jaebum holding a certificate. Beside the photo was the certificate, reading 'Im Jaebum, CEO of Imdustries and forefront of the Hybrid Rights Movement'.)

 

 


End file.
